1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an information system. More particularly, the invention relates to systems and methods for providing personal information including medical information using portable compact disc storage media, ubiquitous personal computers, and Internet browsers.
2. Description of the Related Art
The advantages of storing medical information on portable devices such as smartcards have been widely publicized. Storing medical information on portable devices enables one to carry on one's person potentially life-saving medical information. Healthcare providers such as emergency medical technicians can have immediate access to personal medical data such as drug allergies in emergency situations. However, despite the well-recognizable benefits, carrying one's personal data including medical data has not become a widespread practice.
There are several reasons for this phenomenon. For example, while portable devices such as smartcards can be used to store medical data, they require special equipment to read from and to write thereon. The special equipment is not a typical component of the ubiquitous personal computer (PC) thereby limiting the usefulness and the benefit of the smartcards. Additionally, due to limited use, the cost of the smartcards has not been reduced to the same extent as, for example, the compact disc (CD) including compact disc read only memory (CD ROM), compact disc recordable (CD R), compact disk recordable and writable (CD RW). CDs are used in many industries to store large amounts of data including audio, video, as well as text in a cost effective manner. Likewise, equipment to read CDs, such as a CD drive, is widely available and has become a standard component of the ubiquitous PC.
Other devices such as floppy disks pose problems as well. For example, these devices are not truly portable. They cannot be carried easily and conveniently in a wallet, for example. They require a special carrying gadget resulting in inconvenience, and thereby reducing the likelihood that they would be carried at all. Moreover, with the popularity and the reduced cost of CDs, floppy disks and the associated drives are becoming obsolete and are being replaced by the CD technology.
An additional factor contributing to the lack of widespread use of the portable devices is the method of storing, retrieving, and updating the personal data on the portable devices. Currently, the personal data that are typically stored on the portable devices are predetermined as to content. An individual patient normally does not have the option or the ability to customize the personal data that he/she desires to carry on these portable devices.
This lack of flexibility is the outcome of the industry practice and also the use of special access software programs to update the personal data. Industry practice is to generally provide a predetermined set of data on these storage devices. The purpose of the standardization is to facilitate and make implementation and maintenance of the storage devices easier. This ease, however, has come at the cost of losing flexibility. Furthermore, storing, retrieving, and updating the data on these portable devices require the use of special software programs, which are generally provided or sold to institutions and not to individual patients. Lack of access to the personal data for the individuals makes use of the portable personal data storage devices less desirable, and therefore, less widespread.
There exists a need for a system and method that resolve the shortcomings of these methods and systems.